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1st round – Pellegrino works the head of his opponent, as does Sotiropoulos. Sotiropoulos connects with a nice right hook. Pellegrino comes back but doesnt connect with anything significant. Sotiropoulos drops Pellegrino with a hard right. He moves and takes his back, but Pellegrino gets to his feet. Pellegrino immediately lands a hard right hand. Sotiropoulos comes back with a right of his own and finds the body of his opponent. Pellegrino gets the takedown, but cant keep Sotiropoulos there. They square back off and in front of each other. Both fighters find homes for nice combos. Pellegrino backs away and misses with a right hook. Pellegrino gets a takedown and is now in Sotiropoulos’ full guard. Sotiropoulos connects with an upkick as Pellegrino jumps through it and back into Sotiropoulos’ guard. (Sotiropoulos 10-9)
2nd round – Pellegrino is first to land, he hits with a right hand. Sotiropoulos goes for a takedown, and after a struggle, gets it. He works to pass Pellegrino’s guard. Pellegrino is focused on keeping Sotiropoulos out of dominant position. Sotiropoulos moves into Pellegrino’s half guard. He begins to hammer down on Pellegrino’s face. Sotiropoulos goes from body to head, landing several elbows to the side of Pellegrino’s head. Pellegrino scrambles and gets to the octagon fence. Sotiropoulos catches him and puts him back on his back. Pellegrino scrambles and gets on one knee before making it to his feet. Sotiropoulos has a body lock with Pellegrino against the fence. Sotiropoulos cant get Pellegrino back to the ground just yet. Pellegrino is working hard to get out of Sotiropoulos’s body lock. He finally does and seperates from him. They both connect with nice combinations. Pellegrino lands a knee before the bell ends the round. (Sotiropoulos 10-9)
3rd round – The last round is underway. Sotiropoulos is the busier fighter, he pushes the jab in Pellegrino’s face. Pellegrino comes back with a right hook that hits on the top of Sotiropoulos’ head. Sotiropoulos hits with a nice left hook and then fakes a shoot. Both continue to find a home for the right hands. Pellegrino now begins to hit more consistently. Pellegrino gets a takedown and lands in Sotiropoulos’ full guard. Sotiropoulos stays busy from the bottom by using elbows. Pellegrino works the body of his lanky opponent. Sotiropoulos is trying to push out, but Pellegrino wont allow it. Pellegrino works the body with some hard elbows which land on the face of Sotiropoulos. Sotiropoulos traps Pellegrino’s arm in his rubber guard. Pellegrino is trying to muscle out. he does, and lands some strikes too. They face off with about 1:00 left. Sotiropoulos pins Pellegrino up against the octagon fence and hits with a knee to the midsection. Pellegrino gets out and drops Sotiropoulos with a knee as the bell ends the fight. (Pellegrino 10-9)
Official Decision – Sotiropoulos over Pellegrino unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)